Lost in the darkness
by ammstar11
Summary: Nico may have survived Tartarus but parts of it still cling to him causing the most painful of memories and dreams to collide. How do you escape from a nightmare that shows you what you want most? How do you save what has long been lost? Nico is trapped in his own mind with the claws of Phobetor holding him tight.
1. Chapter 1 Voices out of reach

**Lost in the darkness**

 **Inspired by the song Lost by Within temptation**

 **Nico may have survived Tartarus but parts of it still cling to him causing the most painful of memories and dreams to collide. How do you escape from a nightmare that shows you what you want most? How do you save what has long been lost? Nico is trapped in his own mind with the claws of Phobetor holding him tight.**

Hey guys, I looked up Greek gods of Nightmares and found Phobetor a son of Nyx and thought _Hey this could work!_ So here we are. The worst nightmares are the ones that really hurt you where it counts so I brought Bianca into this SORRY SORRY SORRY!

Sort of inspired by the continuing nightmare I had that I couldn't get away from and ended up spending a few more hours in bed than I had planned.

 **Chapter 1 Voices out of reach**

Nico had been having a hard time sleeping lately though when he woke up the only thing he could remember were distant voices that he couldn't place, although one was familiar the other wasn't but it felt almost sinister and had him waking up in a cold seat feeling like if he went back to sleep he wouldn't wake up.

Nico checked the time and saw that it was morning anyway so he figured he should just get up and go to the dinning pavilion for breakfast. He got out of bed and got dressed then went to the bathroom to wash his face with cold water to help him wake up and to hopefully lessen the dark circles under his eyes after another restless sleep. Finally he left his cabin and headed off to breakfast.

Nico grabbed a plate and got himself something to eat then offered a portion of it to his dad as usual before going to his seat conveniently located at the Apollo table next to Will.

As he sat down Will turned to greet him but his smile faded as he saw how exhausted the son of Hades looked. "Hey Nico are you okay? Are you getting enough sleep?" Leave it to Will to pick up on that first thing.

Nico was sure the healer would notice if a single fingernail was chipped or something ludicrous like that but what could you do when you were dating the number one healer at camp?

Nico shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, "It's no big deal, I just had a bad dream is all." he said as dismissively as he could as he took a bite of toast hoping Will would drop the subject, but of course he pressed on as usual.

"What kind of bad dream?" Will was looking at him with concern now, everyone knew that in the life of a demigod dreams tended to hold meaning so a bad dream was hardly ever nothing.

Nico cut into his eggs not meeting Will's eyes as he pretended to focus on his food. "I don't really remember it too well. I thought I heard voices but I couldn't place them by the time I woke up." he said not too thrilled to be discussing it over breakfast, but still glad Will cared and wanted to know what was bothering him.

Will seemed to be running what Nico told him through his mind and Nico took the opportunity to continue eating and listen as the rest of the table sat and talked with each other while eating, everyone else seemed so carefree this morning that Nico didn't want to bring them down with talk of nightmares and ominous voices so early in the day.

As breakfast wound to a close Will dismissed his table to go and carry on with that day's activities, meanwhile he told Nico to stick around. Once everyone else had cleared off Will looked at Nico with a serious expression. "I think we should go to the Hypnos cabin and see if they have any insight on this dream."

Nico knew better by now than to argue when Will got his mind set on something, especially if it was connected to his wellbeing. Nico sighed quietly but agreed. "Okay fine, but I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this."

Will took his hand and started leading him towards the Hypnos cabin. "The _big deal_ Nico is that I'm worried about you, how long have these dreams been going on exactly? I know the signs of sleep deprivation and that is not just from one night of little sleep." he gestured to the bags and dark circles under Nico's eyes and the way he slumped liked he didn't have the energy to stand or walk straight.

Nico should have known Will would pick up on that too. "A few days." he mumbled not wanting Will to hear him but it seemed that he had anyway because they came to a sudden stop in the middle of the Green with Will turning towards him with an indignant look on his face.

"Excuse me? A few days? As in possibly three or more? Nico why are we only talking about this now?!"

Nico hated when Will got this way but he knew he was only upset because he cared. "I have known that it has bad dreams preventing me from being able to sleep enough for about a couple of nights now, I just never remembered anything from them by the time I woke up. Until today that is, but all I could remember was the traces of voices like I told you about, nothing else."

The look in Will's eyes softened and he pulled Nico into a warm hug. "Oh Nico, If you were having bad dreams you should have said something sooner rather than going through them over and over again trying to remember something from them."

Nico nodded and pulled away before they continued on towards the Hypnos cabin.

When they got there it was the same as usual, the occupants of the cabin snoozing away under comforters and a lulling atmosphere that made you drowsy the moment you walk through the door.

The head councillor of the Hypnos cabin, Clovis sat in his favorite chair in front of the warm fireplace that had a branch from the underworld that dripped water from the river Lethe into a basin below. Nico always wanted to cringe whenever he saw it; he had his own experiences with that river and would rather not have a repeat in this lifetime or any that followed.

As they stepped forward into the room Clovis yawned and greeted them in a sleepy voice. "Hey you guys," another yawn, "what brings you here?"

The two of them looked at each other and Will decided to take the lead on this one since it was his idea to have come here.

"Nico's been having reoccurring nightmares lately," he shot a look at Nico letting him know that he still wasn't too happy with him for not saying anything about it before. "and we were wondering if you could do something to help."

Clovis rubbed his eyes sleepily and nodded. "I'll see what I can do, what were these nightmares about?"

Will let Nico handle this one so he explained the situation. "I wasn't really sure until today but even then all I can remember are voices, but I can't figure out who they belong to. Everything is so foggy and I feel like I'm wading through mud or something or have cotton in my ears and throat so I can't hear or speak very well." he explained as a little more came back to him the harder he tried to remember the dream.

"Were you looking for something? You said it was like you were wading through mud, were you trying to reach the source of the voices?" Clovis asked before he yawned yet again and laid his head on the armrest of his chair.

Nico scrunched up his brow trying to remember if that was why he had chosen to use those particular words but everything was hazy like he had said. "I don't really remember, I just know something had me feeling really terrified because I kept waking up in a cold sweat trying to calm my breathing." Nico noticed Will giving him that concerned look again as he heard Nico recount more of the dream, even if it wasn't much more than before.

"Hmm… I'm thinking we might have to take a look into this dream and see what might be causing it, would that be okay?"

That's what Nico liked about Clovis, despite his habit of dragging others into his dreamscape from time to time, he always asked for permission before entering anyone else's. "If you think it would help then I guess it would be worth a try." Nico said, he was getting really tired –at this point literally- of having these nightmares that he couldn't remember and losing sleep because of them. But most of all he wanted to know whose voices he had been hearing in his sleep over and over again.

"Okay, I think it would be best if you went back to your cabin to try and fall back asleep, Will can go too to make sure that your doing okay." Clovis said as he saw Will look up at the mention of Nico going back to sleep. "And I'll find you in the dreamscape once you're there."

Nico and Will both nodded and agreed then headed back to the Hades cabin to see if this would really work.

 **Well this turned out longer than I had thought it would so here's part one without really anything to do with the song that I mentioned but we'll get there soon enough. Also I hate myself for needing to yawn whenever I so much as read the stupid word.**

 **Please let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2 The pull of the dark

**Again this is going longer than I thought it would but hey I'm so glad people liked this so soon after posting it! Can you believe that this was just supposed to be a song fic one shot? Oh well.**

 **Chapter 2 The pull of the dark**

Will and Nico went to the Hades Cabin like Clovis had said to and Nico crawled back into bed not bothering to change into his pajamas.

"I'm not really sure how I feel about you diving right back into this nightmare if it's affecting you so much." Will said as he pulled up a chair next to Nico's bed so that he could monitor him while he slept.

Nico reached over and took Will's hand and gave it a light squeeze for reassurance. "I'll be fine, Clovis is going to help me figure this out and everything will be fine."

Will wished he could believe that. Even though it was Nico who had said it, he wasn't really sure he believed it either. "I just hope it's only a dream." Will said clearly still worried.

Nico couldn't agree more, he still wasn't sure what his dream was about but he knew that it shook him to his soul. "I'll figure it out Will." he said as he lay back and rested his head on his pillow. Despite his reassurances to Will Nico was still apprehensive to close his eyes but knew that as long as Will was right there beside him he would be okay. So he calmed his breathing and closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him once more.

As Nico drifted off he felt Will take his hand between both of his and hold it close, but that seemed far away almost like a memory as he heard that ominous voice again off in the darkness like it was laughing. Nico tried to pinpoint the direction it had come from but just then Clovis appeared in front of him.

"There you are, I was wondering when you'd get here." Clovis let out another yawn as he stretched his arms; it always amazed Nico that the son of Hypnos could be tired even in a dream. "Well I guess we should get started then, what can you remember from your dreams?"

Nico looked around at the darkness surrounding them; they hadn't entered the dream yet, more like they were just on the edge of it. "It's dark, but not like this. There's something else but I can't really recall what it is." Nico said still looking around, wondering if as he spoke the dream would start to unfold before them, but it didn't and for that he was grateful. "Just before you came I thought I heard one of the voices, not the familiar one. This one sounds almost sinister and it seemed to be laughing."

Just as he said that as if on que the laughter came again and a shadowy shape rushed past at the edge of their vision so they couldn't see what it was. Nico turned towards Clovis to make sure that he had seen it too, but when he looked at his drowsy friends he looked completely awake which was kind of a shock, the fact that what color he had in his face had drained away only added to Nico's unease.

"Clovis what's wrong?" Nico asked but it came out raspy like his throat was too dry to speak. Nico reached up a hand to his throat and tried to clear it before speaking again but it didn't help. "Clovis?" he asked again starting to worry now.

Clovis opened his mouth to say something but when he spoke it wasn't his voice Nico heard.

" _Nico!"_

Nico took a step back as Clovis vanished and in his place stood someone he never thought he'd see again, _Knew_ that he would never see again.

Where Clovis had been standing only seconds before now stood Bianca as she had looked the last time he had seen her alive and well, she stood before him in her Hunters uniform with its silver coat and a silver bow and quiver of arrows across her back. It had been Bianca's voice he had been hearing! But she had been reincarnated so he knew it couldn't be her, it just couldn't. But tears filled his eyes anyway as he stared at the image of his beloved sister standing before him, not as a ghost but as a person.

"Bi…" was all he could manage to say.

…

Back in the Hypnos cabin Clovis came awake with a strangled cry. "Nico!" he looked around him at his cabin seeing that he was no longer in the dreamscape any longer and he knew now what had been causing Nico's nightmares, he had to get help or his friend would be in serious danger!

Clovis jumped out of his chair, the adrenaline caused by fear giving him the energy needed to run over to the Hades cabin to warn Will and try to wake up Nico before something terrible happened and they couldn't bring him back.

…

Back in the dream world Nico couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at Bianca, _how could this be real? It's not, it can't be!_ These thoughts raced each other round and around in his head making him almost dizzy.

"H-how?" he still couldn't talk and he began to realize that the air around him was getting hotter and dryer the longer they stood in place, his heartrate increased as fear sunk it's claws into his heart and he realized with horror where he was. "Tartarus…" he said and as if blinders had been ripped from his eyes the darkness surrounding them transformed instantly to the worst hell imaginable that he never wanted to see again, this was why he had woken up so scared, this was why it was so dark, this was why he felt like his throat and lungs were on fire! But why was he here? And why was Bianca here?!

"No…" Nico backed up shaking his head, this wasn't real! He wasn't there! And she wasn't trapped here with him; she was in a better place now, a new life where she could be happy!

"No!" Nico wanted to scream but his dry throat wouldn't let him. "This isn't real, you're not real!" he rasped out looking at the image of his sister, tears burned their way down his face and his throat felt like it was closing. "You're not real…" he whispered.

 **Holy hell guys I'm crying right now so this will be where we end this chapter, see you next heartbreak, um chapter I mean.**

 **Please let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3 Can't wake up

**Chapter 3 Can't wake up**

Clovis ran as fast as he could, which considering he usually sleeps unless he has to attend meetings or eat was actually quite fast, but it could be the rush of adrenaline causing the burst of speed. He couldn't focus on that right now, all that mattered was waking Nico up before something happened to him and he never woke up again!

Clovis was nearly out of breath as he burst through the door of the Hades cabin, Will looked up from where he sat at Nico's bedside to see the now wide awake –and slightly winded- head of the Hypnos cabin. "Clovis what happened?! Why are you here? Is something wrong with Nico?!"

Clovis panted as he rested his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath so that he could answer Will's questions. "The voice…" huff "I know who it was…" huff "Need to… wake him…" huff, Clovis slumped against the wall next to the door completely out of breath.

Just then Jason, Piper, Percy, and Annabeth rushed into the room looking around at the three already in there, Clovis slumped against the wall next to them, Will sitting next to Nico's bed holding his hand and looking pale, and Nico laying on the bed with sweat covering his face as he lay there sleeping.

"What happened? We saw Clovis running over here and got worried, why is Nico asleep?" Jason asked trying to process everything while clearly worried about his friend.

A few other demigods had noticed Clovis rushing over and wanted to know what was happening but Piper used her Charm-speak to shoo them away. " _You guys go back to what you were doing before._ " And the crowd dissipated. Meanwhile the rest of them waited in the too quiet room for someone to answer Jason's questions.

"Nico told me he was having trouble sleeping due to nightmares and when I asked how long this had been going on for he said for a few days now so after breakfast we went to the Hypnos cabin to see if Clovis could help us figure out what the dreams were about since Nico couldn't remember them by the time he woke up." Will said, his voice a little shaky.

The other's still seemed to be confused so this time Clovis explained. "I was going to help him sort through it so that the dreams would stop and he came back here so that he could have some privacy and Will was going to watch over him while he slept to make sure he was okay."

Annabeth nodded understanding everything up to this point but still lost on why Clovis was awake and here in the Hades cabin and why he had ran all the way here. "So I take it something went wrong while you were trying to analyze the dream?"

Clovis nodded. "Everything was okay until Nico mentions hearing a voice before I got there and then we both heard it and then something ran by, some kind of animal from the looks of it, but it was too dark to see it clearly. When I realized what was happening Nico slipped away into a different dream plain and I couldn't reach him. The sheer terror of his dream woke me up and I rushed over here so that we could wake him." Clovis said and then tried to catch his breath, he wasn't used to having to speak so much in one go and it would have been more exhausting if it wasn't for the adrenalin rush right now.

"So then let's wake him up." Percy said as he looked at Nico, his face a mask of pain, though from what they couldn't be sure.

Will shook his head though. "I've tried, as soon as the dream took over I guess; Nico started to break out into a sweat and he was mumbling something but I couldn't understand him. I tried shaking him and calling his name but I can't get through." Will's blue eyes filled with tears and he gripped Nico's hand a little tighter as though his hold on him could keep him anchored there and not slip away into whatever dream realm held him.

"Is there anything we can do?" Piper asked, they were all worried for their friend and wanted to do something.

"Maybe your Charm-speak can wake him." Jason said to her, it was worth a shot Piper stepped closer to the bed and spoke to Nico. " _Nico wake up._ " she said using her Charm-speak but nothing changed so she tried again putting more power into her words. " _Nico Wake UP!_ " she said again but all he did was stir slightly and a small raspy cry came out.

Percy and Annabeth froze by the door. "Clovis," Annabeth said addressing him once more, "where was Nico in his nightmare?" the worry in her voice had turned to fear and they all heard it, Percy reached over and took her hand in his, his face looking as pale as hers was now.

"I-I think he was describing Tartarus before I was forced out of the dream…" Clovis said holding his head in his hands. The room was completely silent, the air feeling too heavy all of the sudden.

"We need to wake him up." Percy said his quiet words like cannon fire in the silent room.

…

Nico couldn't understand what he was seeing or how he was seeing it, he couldn't be back here, and she couldn't be here, but it all felt so real right down to the feeling of jagged glass cutting through his shoes and into the bottom of his feet. Most of all it felt real when Bianca stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug like she used to do when he was little and was afraid.

"Nico I'm here now it's okay."

He shook his head wanting to pull away from her but couldn't bring himself to do it. "You're not real…" he sobbed and she held him closer.

"Shhh it's okay I'm here now, we'll get through this together." she said in that soothing way she had and he wanted to cry harder.

They both went stalk still when they heard the other voice again as it laughed and out of the corner of his eye Nico saw a shadowy shape run by again, _was it the source of that voice? Was it one of the monsters or other beings that resided in Tartarus?_ He didn't know but he had to get Bianca out of here even if she wasn't real he couldn't let anything happen to her here in this living hell.

 **Please let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4 Sending help

**Chapter 4 Sending help**

 **Now we can get into the parts revolving around the song yay! I kind of hate myself right now…**

" _NICO YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!_ " Piper was putting as much strength as she could into her Charm-speak but it didn't seem to do much good at all, tears were starting to roll down her face as she felt powerless to help.

All of them had gathered around Nico's bed calling out to him or shaking him trying to get him to wake up or respond somehow but nothing seemed to work. Someone should probably go and get Chiron but no one could bring themselves to leave Nico's side. Nico now had tears rolling down his face as he mumbled something but none of them could make out what he was saying.

…

" _Nic... Ke... p…_ " Nico thought he could hear something, someone faraway calling to him but it was drowned out by the sound of cold laughter and the sounds of Tartarus all around them. The shadowy shape ran past again and this time he was sure that it was the shape of some sort of animal.

Bianca drew her bow and knocked an arrow. "Let's go Nico."

He looked at her in shock. "W-what?! Go where?"

But Bianca was already chasing after the mystery creature so Nico had no choice but to follow. "Bi!" he called after her as he materialized his sword and took off after his sister through hell.

"Bi! Wait, don't go alone!" he ran as fast as he could, he refused to lose her again. The creature ran further ahead and Bianca chased after it, stumbling here and there nearly slipping on the uneven terrain there but determined to catch the animal.

"Bianca stop! Please wait!" Nico called as loud as he could while his whole body ached, his throat and lungs on fire. He slipped and cut up his hands and knees but he didn't care, all that mattered was catching up with Bianca. "Bianca!" he cried again as he got to his feet and continued running. His sister needed him, nothing else mattered right now.

…

"Clovis you said you knew what this voice was right?" Jason said turning to Clovis who nodded.

"I wasn't sure at first but when I saw the creature run past I knew who it was, one of the children of Nyx, Phobetor the God of nightmares."

Percy and Annabeth both looked like they were going to be sick when they heard that.

"You're absolutely sure about this?" Jason asked but it was obvious to everyone there that he had no doubt.

Clovis nodded rather than say anything else.

"There has to be something that we can do." Will said not taking his eyes off Nico's face as he wiped sweat off of Nico's forehead and the tears from his cheeks. Then he looked up at the others with a determined look burning in his eyes as a thought came to him. "Can you send me in there?"

The others looked at him shocked into silence once more until Piper was able to find her voice again "Will what are you talking about? You want us to send you into Nico's nightmare?"

Percy looked him in the eye but Will didn't flinch. "You'd be going into Tartarus, you realize that right?"

Will just nodded.

The others looked at one another nervously.

"Can that even be done?" Jason asked and Annabeth nodded.

"In theory it could probably work, kind of like how Clovis can enter others dreamscapes, or how Percy and Grover can communicate through dreams with their empathy link."

Percy nodded. "Or like how when Hazel used to get those flashbacks and anyone within reach could be dragged along with her."

Will looked at Clovis next. "Can you do this?"

Clovis bit his lip. "Like Annabeth said, it might work in theory but I can't guarantee anything…" he trailed off clearly bothered by the thought of sending Will in there now that they knew what they were dealing with, but wanting to do anything they could to save Nico, he reached a decision. "I'll do my best." Clovis turned to Piper, "Can you make Will sleep? Maybe your voice will still reach him when he's in there."

Piper nodded mutely as she tried to calm herself down enough to make this work.

"Could you send any of us along too?" Percy asked but Clovis shook his head.

"I don't think I'd have the power to take more than one person in and it would be too dangerous." He didn't say it but they already knew, it was already too dangerous but they had no other choice now.

Without another word the others pulled the other bed over next to Nico's and Will laid down on it still holding Nico's hand refusing to let him go.

They also brought a chair over for Clovis and he sat down and leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Ready when you are." He said.

Jason, Percy and Annabeth stood back while Piper stood at the end of the bed to use her Charm-speak. " _Go to sleep Will._ "

Will closed his eyes and his breathing evened out as the command took hold.

The four left awake in the room couldn't help but worry as they watched their friends sleep and hoped that this plan worked. Piper sat in the other chair that Will had occupied before and waited for Clovis to wake up and tell them if it had worked.

…

Will opened his eyes to see the black expanse of the dreamscape around him, as he looked around he saw Clovis standing nearby looking nervous.

"This was how it was when I met with Nico here, at least at first." he said while looking around as if checking to see if Phobetor was lurking in the shadows still.

Will fought back his own fear as he thought about where Nico was trapped in his own mind. "How do I find him?" Will asked staring into the void around them.

"Just try to focus on him, hopefully that works." Clovis said, he and Will closed their eyes and tried to picture Nico in their minds.

" _Bi!"_

Their eyes snapped open at the same time.

"Did you hear that?" Will asked as he look at Clovis who could only nod, it had been Nico's voice, they could find him!

…

Nico ran after Bianca and saw that she had come to a stop behind an outcropping of jagged rocks, he caught up to her and tried to catch his breath but every gulp of air felt like lava in his lungs. "Why are you following it Bi? We don't even know what it is or what it wants." Nico said as he looked at his sister "Do you even know where we are? We're in Tartarus! We need to get out, you can't be here!" Nico said trying to drag his sister back from the edge of the rocks. "We're not safe here; we need to find a way out!" Nico couldn't even process that this was a dream anymore; all that mattered was getting his sister to safety.

"We can't go Nico, we need to take down that monster." She said. "Come on before we lose it." She ran from where they had been hidden behind the rocks and Nico followed her begging her to come back and find a way out.

He tripped over a rock and fell to the ground when he got up again he couldn't see his sister and a new fear overwhelmed him, Bianca was alone in Tartarus chasing after some mysterious monster with who knows what close by. He needed to find her right away! "Bi!" he called out as loud as he could.

 **You know when you're having a really bad nightmare and you can't wake up and you can't think of it as a dream no matter how weird it gets because it's just too real? Well that's the idea here.**


	5. Chapter 5 Please hear me

**Chapter 5 Please hear me**

 **So I was listening to my iPod as I do, and I was listening to the other song titled _Lost_ this one by _Red_ and so I just had include it, I'll get to the one by _Within Temptation_ soon. As you know I don't own the rights to either song. No lyrics in this one but I really suggest checking out the songs if you don't know them.**

Time was lost to him, nothing seemed real yet it was all too real at the same time, he didn't understand what was happening, was this just a dream or was he really here, was she really here? Nothing made sense but he couldn't stop now.

Nico searched for Bianca ignoring the pain racking his body and the feeling like he might pass out, none of that mattered while Bianca was still out there and could need his help so he pressed on. He didn't know how he had gotten here, and he didn't know how or why Bianca was there but he needed to find her, and soon before something else did.

But he just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right, yes he was in Tartarus, and yes Bianca was here with him, but something was off and he couldn't place it. Anytime he tried to think about it something else happened like a monster attack or a strange cry that would draw his attention away from those thoughts.

…

Phobetor was very pleased; the nightmare had finally taken hold of the son of Hades and ensnared him in its web. The memory of his lost sister and the pain of losing her was what kept him trapped and no matter what the others on the outside did, they couldn't reach him here in the nightmare realm. He had even managed to chase out that meddling son of Hypnos. But still the boy's friends persisted, though he wasn't concerned about it, it wouldn't be long now until the son of Hades was trapped inside his worst nightmare forever, and then there would be no bringing him back.

…

Will looked around but saw no sign of Nico, just the vast expanse same as before. "I know that was him." he said as he tried to strain his hearing to see if he could hear Nico's voice again but it was eerily quiet and that was really frustrating but he wasn't going to give up anytime soon. He tried to clear his mind of any fears and doubts about not being able to find Nico or get him out of the hell holding him captive within his own mind.

Will took a deep breath and waited and waited with Clovis until they locked onto Nico's voice again.

"Bianca!"

Both of them jumped at the sudden call.

"That was definitely him!" Will said, excited that they could still hear Nico.

Clovis kept his eyes closed in concentration. "I think I can locate him but it's really difficult… something is blocking me."

Will watched Clovis with concern, whatever was blocking him from Nico was clearly putting some strain on the son of Hypnos and he wished that he could do something to help.

Clovis reached out and placed his hands on Will's shoulders. "I still have a lock on Nico but the connection is about to snap so hurry and find him."

He looked like he was trying really hard to keep his focus so Will didn't argue in fear that if he said anything he'd cause Clovis to lose Nico so he closed his eyes and kept his thoughts on Nico and finding him no matter what.

Even with the darkness of the void surrounding them Will still felt like it was growing darker and colder and suddenly he heard a cold laugh that made his breath catch but he refused to lose his focus, and even when he could no longer feel Clovis there with him he kept himself calm and thought only of Nico.

…

Will blinked open his eyes as he felt the strange sensation leave him and his heart leapt into his throat as looked around him and saw things he had only ever heard described to him, so this was Tartarus… no wonder Nico, Percy, and Annabeth still had nightmares of this place. He knew that he wasn't actually there but it still had the terrifying atmosphere to it and he couldn't explain the overwhelming sense of panic gripping his heart. He needed to find Nico and get him out of here as soon as he could, there was no telling what would happen if he was stuck here for too long.

"…ca! Bianca!"

Will turned towards the direction of the voice he knew to be Nico's, not sure what else he could do Will rushed towards the sound of Nico's voice calling out to him as he went. "NICO!" he ignored any pain he felt in his lungs and throat as he ran and continued to call out to his boyfriend. "Nico, where are you?!"

…

"NICO!"

Nico stopped in his tracks, this time he was sure he had heard a voice calling to him but it was distorted and he couldn't tell who it was or even what direction it had come from, so he waited to hear it again.

"Nico where are you?!"

He almost could hear the voice clearly as if it was drawing closer but then he heard the sound of a snarling animal and he turned in time to see a large shadowy shape coming towards him, he didn't have the strength to defend himself against such a beast and his heart ponded in his chest as it drew closer, but before it could attack a silver arrow flew through the air and hit the animal in its shoulder causing it to let out a cry of pain before it sprinted off in the other direction.

"Nico!"

He spun around to see Bianca standing on a ledge above him wither bow in hand, a new arrow knocked and ready to fire if need be. He was so glad to see that his sister was safe, but he could have sworn it had been a different voice calling out for him before.

That didn't matter now because he had finally found Bianca and she wasn't lost or hurt but standing before him looking for the creature that she was hunting. "Bianca! Thank the Gods you're okay!" he was so relieved to see her that his head was spinning, well it could have been from the exhaustion and hunger baring down on him too but he didn't care about that right now. "Bi please don't run off like that, you don't know what kind of place this is."

All of a sudden his legs gave out under him and he felt himself falling to the ground and then everything went black. The last thing he heard was his name, but he wasn't sure who was calling him or how many voices he had heard.

"Nico!"

 **So what do you think? I hope you guys liked this chapter.**

 **Please review and let me know.**

 **By the way most of this is based around songs so I might as well give you the playlist I've made for this**

 **1\. Lost - RED**

 **2\. Lost - Within Temptation**

 **3\. Our farewell - Within Temptation**

 **4\. Pale - Within Temptation**

 **5\. Memories - Within Temptaion**

 **6\. Bring me to life - Thousand foot krutch**

 **7\. Bring me to life - Evanescence**

 **8\. Sleepwalker - Adam Lambert**

 **9\. Sleepwalker - AWAY**

 **10\. Give me a sign - Breaking Benjamin**

 **11\. Leave it all behind - Cult to follow**

 **12\. I'll fight - Daughtry**

 **13\. Echo - Jason Walker**

 **14\. Stay close - Fireflight**

 **15\. My fight - From ashes to now**

 **16\. Through it all - From ashes to now**

 **17\. From the inside - Hollow point heroes**

 **18\. Bring me back to life - Ht Bristol**

 **19\. Elsyium - Mendum**

 **20\. Still worth fighting for - My darkest days**

 **21\. Anthem of the lonely - Nine lashes**

 **22\. Cry out - One Ok Rock**

 **23\. This ain't the end of me - White comic**

 **Maybe not necessarily in that order but I'll let you know by chapter**


	6. Chapter 6 Powers of dreams

**Chapter 6 Powers of dreams**

Will ran as hard as he could when he had finally located Nico, but his heart almost stopped when he saw him fall to the ground in pain and pass out. "Nico!" he cried out desperately as he ran to reach his boyfriend who now lay on the ground unmoving.

Will felt as though his heart would shatter from just looking at the state Nico was in, this was only supposed to be a dream but Nico looked like he had really been through literal hell and Will wondered if his healing powers could help him here.

"Nico please stay with me! Please open your eyes! Please Nico, please!" Will's eyes filled with tears as he picked up Nico's hand and held it close to his own chest as he knelt on the rocky ground next to his unconscious boyfriend and his mind raced as fast as his heart while he tried to figure out what he could do to heal the very real seeming damage that Nico had sustained while trapped within this nightmare.

…

Back in the Hades cabin at camp, Will and Nico lay side by side on the two beds, both of them seeming to be in pain and were unresponsive to anything the others had tried to do in order to reach out to them, even Piper's Charm-speak couldn't penetrate the hellish nightmare that ensnared them.

"What do we do now?" Piper asked after another failed attempt at reaching their friends, she looked over at Annabeth but the daughter of Athena seemed just as lost as the rest of them.

They all looked over at Clovis who had tried once more to dive back into the dream scape to try and reach the two boys, but he didn't appear to be getting anywhere either.

…

Clovis wondered around in the empty dream scape trying his best to try and reach out to either Nico or Will. Normally he had no problem finding people in dreams but he was being blocked now and he had never felt so frustrated or useless as he did right now. He was a son of Hypnos and this was supposed to be his domain but still he felt so lost.

But he pressed on as best he could. That is until the shadows condensed around him and unnatural, uncontrollable fear began to consume him, suddenly there was a terrifying beast like growl before something lunged at him-

The next thing Clovis knew he was wide awake and sitting in the chair he had fallen asleep in in Nico's cabin. Sweat ran down his face and neck as he tried to get his breathing under control once more and the others watched him with concern.

"Any luck?" Percy asked once Clovis was able to catch his breath, but Clovis only shook his head in response.

Everyone was quiet now; no one knew what to do or what they could do at this point.

…

"Is he okay?"

Will looked up at the girl standing beside where he was kneeling while cradling Nico in his arms. She was dressed like the Hunters of Artemis and carried a silver bow and arrows in a quiver over her shoulder. She reminded him of Nico so much that he knew that she must be his late sister Bianca di Angelo who had died while on a quest back when Nico had first been brought to camp.

"How are you here?" Will asked in a small voice, Nico had told him about how Bianca had been in Elysium and had chosen to be reborn, so then how was she here in this dream seeming as real as they were?

She seemed to ignore his question as if he hadn't even spoken to begin with; instead she knelt down beside him and ran a hand through Nico's hair and brushing it out of his face. "He's in so much pain…" she said and Will knew that she was sincerely worried about Nico just as he was.

"He's reliving his journey through Tartarus; no one would be okay after that." Will said. He had done all he could to heal the damage Nico had suffered, though with this being a living nightmare he wasn't too sure how long it would last.

Will stood up and lifted Nico into his arms and held him close as if hoping to shield him from any further pain that just being there would cause, he didn't know what else he could do since he wasn't even armed.

"We need to find somewhere…" _safe_ didn't seem like the right word, not in this place, "somewhere to rest."

Bianca nodded and together they set out to find someplace that they could rest and keep an eye out for danger, not that there was any shortage of that here.

Will just hoped that if Nico was unconscious inside of this nightmare that it would stop his mind from experiencing anything else, was it possible to dream inside a dream like this? They were demigods so maybe even that was possible, Will hoped not because Nico needed rest now more than ever.

 **Okay, Sorry sorry sorry for the wait and sorry for this being kind of short. Also I will eventually explain Bianca's presence and how that works so I hope this is okay, it's supposed to add mystery and suspense to the story, I hope it's working anyway.**

 **And just so you know, because the power of the nightmare is so strong Nico is slowly losing his grip on reality and so he really believes that this is all real thus adding to his pain (Sorry my baby you don't deserve this!) but Will isn't the intended target so the affects aren't as strong on him.**

 **As always, Please let me know what you think! I love hearing from you and if you spot anything I need to fix I'd love to hear about it!**


End file.
